President Calvin Coolidge was born in Plymouth, Vt., on July 4, 1872. He is the only president born on July 4; however, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe all died on the Fourth of July.

One lucky Philadelphian purchased a $4 picture at a flea market. Behind the picture was an original 1776 printing of the Declaration of Independence. It was sold to TV producer Norman Lear for $8.1 million.

After the war, King George III rationalized that Washington would become a dictator and make the Americans yearn for royal rule. When he was told that Washington planned to resign his commission, the monarch gasped: "If he does that ... he will be the greatest man in the world."

The American colonies declared their independence from the British empire on July 2, 1776. However, this declaration was not approved until July 4, 1776. John Adams wrote, "The Second of July will be a memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival."

George Washington ran dozens of espionage rings in British-held New York and Philadelphia, and the man who supposedly could not tell a lie was a genius at disinformation. He constantly befuddled the British by leaking, through double agents, inflated reports on the strength of his army.

Future president John Adams took up the defense of the British soldiers involved with the "Boston Massacre." He, along with Joshua Quincy, was able to get all but two acquitted by a local jury.

Most people know about how the 50 to 60 "Sons of Liberty," disguised as Mohawks, protested the 3 cents per pound British tax on tea by dumping chests of it into Boston Harbor on Dec. 16, 1773. However, did you know that the Bostonians repeated the act on March 7, 1774? The two tea parties cost the British around $3 million in today's money.

John Trumbull's oil on canvas shows the signing of the Declaration of Independence in what is now called Independence Hall, Philadelphia. The painting features the committee that drafted the Declaration of Independence  John Adams, Robert Sherman, Thomas Jefferson (presenting the document) and Benjamin Franklin  standing before John Hancock, the president of the Continental Congress. The painting includes portraits of 42 of the 56 signers and five other patriots.

The original print of several hundred copies of the Declaration only had Hancock's and another guys signature on it - and was the one that they sent to King George. The congress then voted that everyone present when they agreed on the Declaration should sign it (which was done weeks - perhaps months later, I don't recall). And one or two guys had already left for home so didn't sign it.

6
posted on 07/05/2005 12:43:56 AM PDT
by geopyg
("It's not that liberals don't know much, it's just that what they know just ain't so." (~ R. Reagan))

Final Official version signed by the 56 on August 2nd, 1776. One of the original five that was assigned to coming up with the Declaration thought it was "premature" and didn't sign it! We'd already been fighting the English for a year and some guy thinks it's premature, don't want to make them mad at us I suppose. Some things never change!

7
posted on 07/05/2005 1:00:47 AM PDT
by geopyg
("It's not that liberals don't know much, it's just that what they know just ain't so." (~ R. Reagan))

Happy Birthday! - We're in Tennessee, too. Did you see the Nashville fireworks last night? We went to Nashville last year for a 4th of July trip to see the fireworks. It was nice, but the traffic was thick as thieves and much better to just watch it at home on t.v. this time.

11
posted on 07/05/2005 2:58:00 AM PDT
by Twinkie
(Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.)

Most people know about how the 50 to 60 "Sons of Liberty," disguised as Mohawks, protested the 3 cents per pound British tax on tea by dumping chests of it into Boston Harbor on Dec. 16, 1773. However, did you know that the Bostonians repeated the act on March 7, 1774? The two tea parties cost the British around $3 million in today's money.

If you go to the old meeting house, there at least used to be a metal plate with an engraving which read, "through these doors the Patriots left for the Boston Tea Party". And it was literally *those doors*. I still get a thrill thinking about how I got to touch 'em. There's another building which has a sort of balcony, and from that balcony the Declaration of Independence was first read out to the people of Boston. From that window one can look down and see the memorial at the very site of the Boston Massacre.

After the war, King George III rationalized that Washington would become a dictator and make the Americans yearn for royal rule. When he was told that Washington planned to resign his commission, the monarch gasped: "If he does that ... he will be the greatest man in the world."

Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.